🌊 Yay, More Epstein Drama!

In-N-Out-of-California.

In-n-Out heiress Lynsi Snyder revealed that she and her family’s company are leaving California for Tennessee. She explained the move to podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey, “Raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here.” The burger chain plans to keep a Western HQ in California and open an Eastern HQ in Franklin.

2025 keeps getting stranger. Before we know it, Ben & Jerry’s will be MAGA and Five Guys will be affordable.

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

Epstein Files to be Released?

President Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval for releasing Epstein’s grand jury testimony

• Trump had promised during his campaign to release Epstein-related files upon taking office, but announced earlier this month he would not release the files, sparking backlash from his political base

• Trump announced Thursday night on Truth Social that he was directing Bondi to "produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval”

• The grand jury testimony represents only a small fraction of the evidence collected during the federal investigation

Dig Deeper 

• The announcement came as House Republicans advanced a nonbinding resolution calling for the Justice Department to release broader Epstein investigation materials within 30 days

• Republican lawmakers reported being bombarded with calls from angry constituents demanding transparency after the administration's decision not to release additional files

• Democrats have also piled on, making similar demands of the Trump Administration

• Last week, Trump called the controversy a Democratic "hoax" and said those who care about it are his “former supporters”

KEY STORY

Trump Signs Crypto Bill

President Trump passed major cryptocurrency legislation to regulate stablecoins

• The crypto industry has spent years pushing for federal legislation and poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the 2024 elections to support pro-crypto candidates

• On Thursday, Trump signed a bill that will regulate stablecoins – tokens pegged to assets like the US dollar – and pave the way for banks to launch their own digital currencies

• The legislation requires stablecoin issuers to back tokens with liquid assets and publicly disclose reserve compositions monthly

Dig Deeper

• JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon said his bank would be "involved in both JPMorgan deposit coin and stablecoins" and Bank of America's Brian Moynihan spoke about the bank's appetite for stablecoin payments

• Democratic critics including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Rep. Maxine Waters (CA), who warned that the new regulatory regime won't adequately protect consumers and could lead to pressure for government bailouts if digital token issuers fail

QUOTE OF THE DAY

ROCA’S SPONSOR

End Spam Calls and Texts

Together With Incogni

A Roca reader texted us this recently: “the Incogni thing you advertised is amazing. Haven't gotten any scam calls or texts since I signed up and I used to get 15+ a day” 

• Spam starts with your personal data being sold. Data brokers profit from your home address, SSN, phone number, and other info that doesn’t belong to them

• What happens next? At best, you get targeted ads and spam calls. At worst, scammers and identity thieves breach those brokers, leaving your data vulnerable or on the dark web

• It’s time you check out Incogni. Incogni scrubs your data from the web. It takes 3 minutes to set up, tackles 250+ data brokers, and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee

• Incogni submits removal requests to erase your personal data from the web and data broker websites. They continue to monitor sites to make sure your data stays off the web for good

• Protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls, and health insurers raising your rates

• Don't wait! Get Incogni for half price here

KEY STORY

Trump Sues WSJ For $20B

President Trump filed a $20B lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal

• Last week, the WSJ reported a letter that Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday. The note was stylized as a conversation in the third person between the pair

• Among various things, Trump wrote, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey…Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?...A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret”

• Trump labeled the report “fake news” and sued the WSJ for $20B for libel

Dig Deeper

• The full note said:

• “Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything”

• Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is

• Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is

• Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey

• Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it

• Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?

• Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you

• Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret

• Trump immediately denied the veracity of the story: “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper”

• Dow Jones, which owns the Wall Street Journal, said it will defend its actions in court and has "full confidence in the rigor and accuracy" of its reporting

KEY STORY

Late-Night Shake-Up

CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”

• Once among the most popular programs on television, late-night show viewership and revenue has been cratering

• Last week, CBS announced it would end The Late Show franchise in 2026, calling it “purely a financial decision.” Per the Wall Street Journal, the show was profitable “just a few years ago” but is now losing $40M a year

• Some have speculated that CBS is canceling the show to curry favor with Trump – Colbert has been one of the president’s most frequent critics – while others have said the show’s left-wing tilt alienated viewers and limited its audience

Dig Deeper 

• CBS was paying Colbert $20M a year, a staff of 200 people, and a live band, among other expenses

• The show will end in May 2026, and CBS doesn’t plan to replace it with another late-night show

• Trump posted on Truth Social after the news broke, “I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show”

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

💋 Andy Byron resigned as CEO of Astronomer after a viral video from a Coldplay concert revealed him having an affair with his company’s HR chief

💣 Axios reported that sources in the White House are growing increasingly concerned about Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, with one official calling him a “madman” after he bombed Syria

💲 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been aggressively lobbying Trump not to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, the Wall Street Journal reported

✈️ An Atlanta-bound Delta Airlines Boeing 767 had to return to LA after one of its engines caught fire during take-off

⚔️ The Democratic Republic of the Congo and M23 rebels agreed to sign a ceasefire deal, potentially ending years of war

What does Roca Nation think?

📺 Today’s Question: Was Stephen Colbert a good late-night talk show host? Explain.

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🏖️ Paradise Lost: North Korea has shut down its massive Wonsan-Kalma beach resort to foreign tourists indefinitely, just a week after letting in Russian visitors

🕳️ Sewer to Stream: Once dubbed “the sewer of the Ruhr,” Germany’s Emscher River has transformed from Europe’s dirtiest river into a thriving ecosystem

🔥 Balcony Bravery: A man in Paris is being hailed as a hero after rescuing young children from a deadly apartment fire

🦿 Bionic Breakthrough: MIT engineers have developed a new bionic knee that integrates directly into human tissue

🐶 Homes Sold, Dogs Saved: Florida realtor DJ Soucy is helping shelter dogs find loving families by offering one free dog with each home sale

ROCA WRAP
Presidential Ankle Monitor

Brazil

This country's former president called wearing an ankle monitor "a supreme humiliation." 

Brazil’s former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro is currently facing charges of attempting to plot a coup that would have kept him in power after losing an election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) in 2022. Bolsonaro has said the charges are political, and earlier this month the US threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil if its authorities did not drop the case against the Trump-aligned Bolsonaro.

On Friday, federal police conducted searches at Bolsonaro's residence and party headquarters in the capital while implementing a Supreme Court order that severely restricts his movements. The restrictions prohibit the former president from leaving his house at night, communicating with foreign diplomats, approaching embassies, or using social media platforms. Bolsonaro also can’t contact other individuals under investigation, including his own son Eduardo, a Brazilian lawmaker currently living in the United States with close ties to President Trump.

The ankle monitor stems from ongoing Supreme Court proceedings where Bolsonaro faces charges of attempting to stage a coup following his 2022 electoral defeat. Prosecutors allege he "acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law."

Trump has publicly defended Bolsonaro, describing his treatment as "terrible and unjust" and demanding the trial end immediately. Sources linked to Brazil’s Supreme Court have said the international pressure will have no effect on the court’s proceedings, which are expected to resume between August and September.

For Bolsonaro, a ban on traveling or speaking to diplomats limits not just his personal freedoms, but his ability to leverage his Trump ties to alleviate his legal plight.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Max F spent his on the beautiful Lake George with his family, while Max T spent his watching stories of people spending their weekends at beautiful places like Lake George.

One thing we’re excited about are the recent additions to the RocaNews team: Gus, Amelia, Rob… and (checks notes) another Max. We’re ashamed by this because the ratio of 40% of the team being Maxes is way too low.

–Max and Max